Pokemon: This Ash Is Too Versatile

But this forcibly boosted power doesn’t actually affect Dragonite’s Physical Strength.

Its defensive power is also far inferior to other Pokemon of the same Level.

Normally, being hit head-on by that Fairy Type Hyper Voice, a Gym Intermediate Dragonite shouldn’t have taken only that little damage.

Looks like it must be related to Ash’s Aura Link... what an incredible ability!

Clair took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently.

"Gym Intermediate... you’re actually using a Gym Intermediate Dragonite, pushing it up to Mid-Elite Level with that mysterious power, then stacking MEGA Evolution on top to clash head‑on with my ace."

Her tone was full of shock.

"This kind of tactic is simply unheard of."

What kind of Trainer has that many ways to boost a Pokemon’s strength!

This is straight up skipping a whole big Level plus a smaller one, and it’s even jumping from Gym to Elite—way more ridiculous than going from Pro to Gym!

On the sidelines, Dawn listened in total confusion, but with her heart full of awe.

She might not understand all that Level stuff, but she could tell Dragonite’s breathing was getting faster.

"Master, is Dragonite... really tired?"

Cynthia nodded slightly: "You noticed? That’s right, it’s already forcing itself to keep going."

"A Gym Intermediate body carrying Mid-Elite Level power into a MEGA battle—every second is overexertion. In this fight, Ash has to finish it fast."

Dawn blinked, turning her gaze back to the battlefield.

...

In the center of the field, Ash was of course more aware than anyone of his Dragonite’s situation.

Dragonite’s breathing grew heavier with each breath, and the arc of its pure white wings was already smaller than at the start.

’Two more rounds at most—this has to be decided by then.’ Ash clenched his fists.

But the more critical the moment, the calmer he became.

"Dragonite, watch your opponent and wait for an opening!"

"Wuuoh!" Dragonite raised its head, and an even fiercer fighting spirit burned on that honest, goofy face.

This was its first battle after evolving, and even its first battle after being caught by Ash!

Even if it burned through the very last drop of strength, it still had to win!

Clair, on her side, had already seen through the opponent’s predicament and naturally wouldn’t give Dragonite any chance to catch its breath.

"Altaria, take to the sky—rapid‑fire Moonblast!"

She was going to leverage her advantage in stamina and slowly grind Dragonite to death!

Altaria beat its wings and soared high, circling near the Gym’s ceiling as one pale blue orb after another poured from its beak, raining down on Dragonite.

Dragonite staggered around the field, barely dodging thanks to Ash’s Aura guidance, but the more it dodged the slower it became—its Speed was visibly dropping.

One Moonblast grazed its wings and exploded, knocking it off balance.

"Dragonite can’t dodge anymore!" Brock shouted, fists clenched tight. "It’s almost out of Physical Strength!"

Serena and Misty held their breath at the same time.

Altaria had seized the high ground while Dragonite was getting pinned to the floor and pummeled; this situation looked completely one‑sided.

Clair’s lips curved into a faint smile as her beautiful eyes turned toward Ash.

She wanted to see what kind of expression Ash would have in a situation like this.

However... what she saw was an incomparably calm face.

Ash showed no sign of panic at all, his gaze locked onto the field as if he were calculating something.

’This feels... off somehow.’

Clair sensed something was wrong in her heart, yet she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

"Now! Dragonite, use Extreme Speed!!"

Altaria, firing off Moves in rapid succession high above, thought it was firmly in control, and its attacks grew ever more reckless.

Precisely because of that, its guard kept dropping lower and lower, until all its attention was focused entirely on attacking!

Through Aura Perception, Ash sensed a brief lull in the Energy flow inside Altaria, and he seized that fleeting opening to have Dragonite close in!

"Swish!"

Dragonite beat the twin wings atop its head and on its back, leaving behind only an afterimage!

Clair’s expression changed—Dragonite’s Speed... it’s even faster than before!

Could its apparent exhaustion earlier have been an act? No way!

Judging by Gym Intermediate stamina, Dragonite really should be almost drained by now!

But Clair had missed one thing: a portion of Ash’s own Physical Strength was linked to Dragonite. Even if it didn’t boost Dragonite as explosively as Aura power did, it was still enough to let Dragonite’s Physical Strength far exceed its original Gym Intermediate!

Otherwise, trying to drive Elite Advanced Level power with Gym Intermediate stamina, Dragonite would’ve collapsed long ago.

"Bang!" Extreme Speed landed solidly on Altaria’s body, smashing it even higher into the air.

"Ice Beam!"

Ash didn’t hesitate for a second and pressed the attack.

They’d taken a beating for that long—now it was their turn!

Dragonite spread its wings to steady itself after the recoil had thrown off its posture, freezing blue-white light rapidly condensing in its mouth.

The glow was far more dazzling than earlier’s Ice Punch, and it was forming at an astonishing speed.

A thick beam of icy blue fired from Dragonite’s mouth, wrapped in bone‑chilling cold as it surged straight toward Altaria, which had been knocked into the high sky.

Clair’s pupils shrank sharply.

The power level of this beam was leagues beyond that earlier Ice Punch.

"Altaria, dodge—"

Before she could finish, Ice Beam had already struck squarely against Altaria’s chest.

"Screee!"

Altaria let out a shrill cry of pain as ice crystals spread like mad over its fluffy feathers, and in the blink of an eye most of its body was encased in white frost.

Its layered wings were frozen stiff, even their flapping slowed noticeably.

Clair’s mind buzzed.

Something’s wrong—this Ice Beam is more than one tier stronger than Ice Punch.

She suddenly realized she might have overlooked something: for MEGA‑evolved Dragonite, is its Special Attack higher, or its Physical Attack?

From start to finish, Ash had been deliberately hiding that point.

Dragonite’s first strike was Ice Punch, a Physical Move; Extreme Speed was also a Physical Move.

That gave Clair a deeply rooted impression—this Dragonite was built around Physical Attack.

Yet the Ice Beam that Dragonite had just fired was plainly far stronger than Ice Punch.

On the sidelines, Lance suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.

"So that’s it."

Arms folded, he fixed his eyes on the heavily panting yet still proudly upright Dragonite, his tone tinged with realization.

"After MEGA Evolution, Dragonite’s Special Attack is greatly enhanced compared to its original form. From the very beginning, Ash has been intentionally hiding that, making everyone think this Dragonite’s forte is Physical Attack."

"In reality, Special Attack is the trump card he kept for last."

Cynthia gave a slight nod, her golden eyes reflecting that icy blue glow in the arena.

"First using Ice Punch as a Feint to mislead the opponent about Dragonite’s damage focus, then bringing out Ice Beam at the critical moment for a lethal strike—even when forced into a desperate corner, Ash still refused to expose that fact. He has immense trust in his Pokemon."

Dawn’s mouth hung open, her eyes sparkling like stars—she didn’t get it, absolutely didn’t get it.

So Pokemon battles are this kind of cutthroat mind game?

Isn’t it supposed to be ’I use a Move, you use a Move, and we see who lasts longer’?

To be a Trainer... you basically need a steel heart!

On the field, Altaria struggled to flap its frozen wings, trying to break free of the ice’s restraints.

That cottony defense had already been worn down by more than half in the previous exchanges and couldn’t possibly block Ice Beam’s full‑power blast now.

Frost seeped into the cotton that looked like clouds, and Altaria’s movements slowed visibly.

Ash had been waiting for exactly this moment.

"Hurricane! Full power!"

Dragonite had no extra stamina left—this strike had to decide the match!

Clair bit down on her silver teeth, her eyes burning with the same resolve. So it’s going to be a straight clash, huh? Then we’ll see it through to the end!

"Altaria, full‑power Moonblast!"